Yokun Ridge
| Yokun Ridge | |
|---|---|
 Yokun Ridge
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| Dimensions | |
| Length | 9 mi (14 km) north-south |
| Geography | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| Region | Berkshire County |
| Range coordinates | 42°21′5″N 73°20′16″W / 42.35139°N 73.33778°WCoordinates: 42°21′5″N 73°20′16″W / 42.35139°N 73.33778°W |
| Parent range | Taconic Mountains |
| Biome | northern hardwood forest |
| Geology | |
| Orogeny | Taconic orogeny |
| Age of rock | 440 million years |
| Type of rock | thrust fault |
Yokun Ridge is a ridge in the Taconic Mountains in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, consisting of a well-defined series of contiguous peaks including West Stockbridge Mountain and Lenox Mountain. The name "Yokun Ridge" was invented for the area in 1971 by a land conservation and environmental advocacy organization called the Berkshire Natural Resources Council, and was accepted in 2009 by the United States Board on Geographic Names. Yokun Ridge is 9 miles (14 km) long and contains a conservation planning area called the Stockbridge-Yokun Ridge Reserve designated in 1993 by the U.S. Forest Service under its Forest Legacy Program. The ridge is notable for outdoor recreation and scenic beauty, as well as its conserved land and proximity to the tourist destinations of Lenox and . Yokun Ridge is located within , , Lenox, Richmond, and Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Approximately one-third of the ridge is protected as open space reserve, municipal watershed, and wildlife sanctuary.
Yokun Ridge includes, from south to north, West Stockbridge Mountain 1,831 feet (558 m), Lenox Mountain 2,139 feet (652 m), Yokun Seat 2,133 feet (650 m), The Damp 1,814 feet (553 m), and Mahanna Cobble 1,903 feet (580 m). Subordinate peaks located off the main ridge crest include Baldhead 1,677 feet (511 m) (now wooded at its summit), Osceola Mountain 1,548 feet (472 m), and The Cobble 1,558 feet (475 m).
Water bodies related to the ridge include Lake Averic, Fairfield Pond, the two Lenox Reservoirs, Shadowbrook Reservoir (also called Monks Pond locally), and Darey Pond, as well a number of small brooks, ponds, and wetlands. A waterfall is located in Stevens Glen on the west side of Lenox Mountain. The southwest side of the ridge drains into Cone Brook, thence into the Williams River, the Housatonic River, and Long Island Sound; the southeast side drains into Marsh Brook, Stockbridge Bowl, and Larrywaug Brook, thence into the Housatonic River; the northwest side drains into Richmond Pond and Southwest Branch Brook, thence the Housatonic River; and the northeast side drains into Yokun Brook, thence into the Housatonic River.
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Wikipedia